Bloody Roar: The Next Level  Version II
by Xardion
Summary: A remake of an earlier fanfic. A new zoanthrope enters the scene. Takes place after BR2. Please R&R
1. A New Friend

Disclaimer: I do not own Bloody Roar or any of the character within. The character Shinn is fan-made by me however.

AN: My second fanfic remake. Hope this comes out a good as my Heart of a Gear remake

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><p><span>A New Friend<span>

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><p><em>Tylon Foundation...<em>

_A bio-engineering company that used it resources and technology to conduct horrific experiments of people, turning them into human-animal hybrids of incredible power and strength known as zoanthropes..._

_Eight years ago, a group of zoanthropes rose up and fought again the company, ultimately bringing about its destruction. However, in the midst of those flames, dark legacies emerged from within. _

_One of whose story is about to be told._

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><p>"Hey Kenji, wait for me!"<p>

Dashing away from the school, Uriko Nonomora caught up to her friend, Kenji Ohgami, as he began to seat himself down on his bike. Finally catching up with him, Uriko stopped and bent forward, almost against him, as she caught her breath. His expression was neutral at first, but then his lips curled up into a slight smirk.

"You finally caught up."

Her head snapping up, Uriko glared at Kenji. "Ugh, you're such a meanie, Kenji!"

Kenji simply shrugged and turned forward, with Uriko climbing onto the back to the bike. Together, they rode off out of the school yard, heading for the open street. However, a commotion on the street corner caught their attention and Kenji slowed down to see what it was. It was a group of five boys, with one of them being cornered in while the four closed in on him. The dirt and marks of the group, the single boy in particular, told Kenji exactly what was happening.

A fight...

Kenji frowned, not liking the fact of a person being bullied, especially by a group of four larger boys. He even recognized on the lead bully as Taka, who was known for picking on smaller students or newcomers. The boy they were picking on may have be either, since he was smaller than Taka and Kenji didn't regonize him. But even still, it didn't look like he was going down without a fight.

"Hey! Leave him alone!"

Forgetting that Uriko was with him, Kenji didn't take into account her reaction to the scene and only watch as she hopped off from behind him and dashed toward the scene. _'Impulsive...'_ Regardless of this, Kenji moved in behind to back her up. As he did, he was able to take in the scene more closely, amazed by what he saw. The four bullies seemed to be sporting more injuries than their target. Taka in particular revealed that his nose was bloodied as he turned to Uriko's call, who had stopped in front of them with a scowl on her face.

"Why don't you guys pick on someone your own size?"

The larger boy growled at her. "Stay out of this, little girl." But his gaze then shifted over to Kenji's approaching form and he paused for a moment. When Kenji first arrived in school, he had become one of Taka's targets. But that was a brief time and Derrick quickly found out that the younger Ohgami wasn't someone to trifle with and hasn't messed with him since. And he wasn't in a rush to do so now.

Especially not with the silent death-glare Kenji was giving him right now...

Waving to his compatriots, Taka walked away and left the targeted boy alone. As the others followed suit, Uriko stuck her tongue out at them. If it was one thing she couldn't stand was bullies. She soon turned her attention to the young man they had helped. He was around the same size and build as Kenji, with nothing really distinguishing about his form save for the light, pale-ish complextion of his skin and completely pale-white hair of short-medium length.

"Are you alright?"

The boy looked up at her and Uriko held a gasp. His eyes were a dark hazel, but they seemed darker than they appeared. Furthermore, though he didn't seem to be glaring, his eyes held a piercing, almost swordlike, gaze to it. Blinking, the boy nodded in silence and then turned about to pick up his bag. It took a minute for Uriko to regain her wits and frown at him.

"Hey, don't we get a thank you?"

The boy turned his gaze back to her and again, Uriko felt his eyes bore right through her. But then he cocked his head to the side and spoke in a near whisper.

"Thank you."

Uriko tried to force a smile to come up, but then noticed the cut near one of his eyes. Holding up her hand to stop him from leaving, the girl then went into her own bag and pulled out a first-aid kit. _'Sis was right. This does come in handy.'_ Pulling out a band-aid, Uriko leaned forward and gently placed it over the injury, smoothing it out afterward. The boy tilted his head again, with his eyes showing slight confusion at her action. Uriko didn't seem to notice that, however, and grinned at her work.

"Much better." Backing away, she smiled; this time without it being forced. "So, what's your name?"

The boy didn't answer and simply stared at her. Uriko blinked at his silence, but she didn't let that deter her in the least.

"I'm Uriko. Uriko Nonomura. Oh, and this is Kenji."

His eyes slowly shifted over to the dark-haired youth behind Uriko and Kenji simply stared back in return. The piercing gaze of the boy didn't affect Kenji like it did Uriko, but he did find it a bit curious. His gaze moving back to Uriko, the young man blinked again, slowly this time, and replied in the same quiet voice.

"Shinn... My name is Shinn."

"Well, it's nice to meet you Shinn." Uriko smiled.

The boy nodded to her and then began to move away. "I...should go."

"Oh." Her smile faded a bit, but only for a moment and then her face brightened again. "Well maybe we'll see you tomorrow."

Again, Shinn tilted his head, his sharp eyes regarding her with open curiousity. But to Uriko's pleasure, the young man gave her a brief, but small smile. "Maybe."

With that, the boy walked away, quietly moving down the sidewalk until he was out of sight. The pair watched him go for a bit before Uriko turned around to Kenji.

"He sure is strange, don't you think?"

"Mm..."

"Mm?" The girl pouted. "Is that all you have to say?"

Kenji shrugged lightly. "Not much else to say."

"Guah!" she exclaimed. To this day, Kenji's calm and cool attitude frustrated her to no end. Glancing back down, she continued. "Still, he seemed nice. He seems...kind of like you actually."

The young man blinked. "Like me?"

"Yep." Grinning a bit, she turned back to him. "He has that whole quiet brooding thing like you."

"I do not brood." he retorted.

"Yes you do."

"..."

"See!"

Kenji sighed. "Can we go now?"

Grinning at her 'victory', Uriko resumed her place on the back of Kenji's bike and held on to his shoulders as he rode off, with both thinking a bit about the young man that they had helped save. And not knowing that destiny (or fate, whichever you perfer) would draw the three of them together again.


	2. Meeting Family

Disclaimer: See initial chapter

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><p><span>Meeting Family<span>

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><p>The next day at school went on just about the same before, with it ending with Kenji and Uriko meeting up together outside. However, Uriko had spent a good portion of the school day looking for the mysterious young man they had met yesterday. To be quite honest, she wasn't sure as to why she was looking. Granted, she and Kenji helped him yesterday and she was an overly friendly person. But there seemed to be more to Shinn than she could see.<p>

In short, she was curious...

Kenji for his part, already understood that about her (annoyed by it at times, but he understood). Aside from her demeanor, he surmised that her animal-half influenced her in this. But he too could sense something different about Shinn as well. Maybe it was because his mannerisms seemed similar to his own, at least, before when he was developing as a person with under Yugo's care. Or maybe...it was more than something different.

It was something familiar...

In any case, he didn't exhibit the same enthusiasm as Uriko did; or the overt disappointment when she was unable to find him that day. And this was more or less the same the next day, although now he had to hear her complain about it. But just as she was really getting into it, the young man in question strode out of the school doors and stopped upon seeing them.

"Uriko. Kenji."

Stopping in mid-rant, Uriko turned toward Shinn with a smile. "Shinn. There you are!"

When his eyes blinked in confusion, the girl continued. "Well, I've been looking for you all day today and yesterday. We both have."

In truth, Kenji didn't really bother, but he kept silent as he watched Shinn's confused expression grow even more by her words. "You...have?"

"Yeah." Uriko nodded. "We were hoping to talk with you more over lunch or something."

Although his face still held a bit of confusion, Shinn kept silent at her words. Uriko gave him a silent glance. _'I was right'_, she thought, giving Kenji a brief glance and grin. _'He does act like Kenji.'_ That gave her an idea as to how to get this guy to open up more. She just had to find a common ground, get him to talk a bit more. And given the facial expressions Shinn made, she could use those to her advantage as well.

"So, you're heading home now?"

"No..." His confused expression dropped, leaving only a slight frown. "Not really."

"Well, then where?"

"Uriko." Kenji admonished quietly. While Uriko wheeled about to glare at him, Kenji turned his focus to the pale-hair youth. "I'll have to apologize for her. She can get a little nosy sometimes."

Uriko continued to glare, but that was until she heard a low sounding chuckle come from Shinn. "It's okay. She's just curious." He gave her a sidelong glance. "Like a cat."

"That's right." Uriko pouted to Kenji. "Not nosy." She then returned her attention to Shinn. "So if you're not going home yet, would you like to hang with us for a bit?"

Again, he became silent, almost immediately. Uriko waited him out and then he quietly answered. "Why?"

"I don't know." the girl shrugged thoughtfully. "I guess...I would like to be your friend. You seem to be lonely and..."

"...Okay."

"Huh?"

His sharpened gaze was fixed solidly on Uriko as she realized that he had answered. "I'll...hang with you guys a bit..."

"Great!"

Shinn continued speaking, however; his gaze now centering on Kenji. "...If that's okay with you."

The raven-haired youth simply shrugged. "Sure."

A broad smile immediately bloomed on Uriko's face. "All right! Let's go."

Shinn blinked in askance. "Where?"

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><p>"Mom! I'm home!"<p>

A half an hour later, Uriko entered her house with a shout. In response, an equally loud voice boomed out from the kitchen area of the house.

"Not so loud, 'Riko!"

The girl grinned as she stepped aside to let Kenji walk in. At the same time, a large woman dressed in an apron emerged from the kitchen. Shaking her head at her daughter, Mitsuko Nonomura then looked over at Kenji as he entered the house and gave him a warm smile.

"Hello, Kenji."

The young man returned the greeting. "Hello, Miss Nonomura."

Uriko soon turned back to the door, much to her mother's confusion until she saw her beckon toward the doorway, where an uneasy Shinn entered into the house. His sharp eyes wandered about the dwelling, taking in the pleasant surroundings until his gaze settled on Mitsuko. She stood with an obvious strength, but also with a certain grace. Bowing his head, Shinn introduced himself

"Hello, Miss Nonomura. My name is Shinn."

At this, Mitsuko smiled. "Hello Shinn. It's nice to meet you." Her gaze widened out to the others. "Well, I should guess you kids are hungry."

"You bet!" Uriko cheered.

Moments later, the trio was seated at the table eating the lunch Uriko's mother had made and chatting about school. Actually, Uriko did most of the talking. Kenji only spoke a couple of times and then it was in brief sentences, while Shinn was silent altogether. However, his attention was focused sharply on the two, watching their interchanges with interest, although not engaging in it himself.

At least not until Uriko turned her attention to him...

"So Shinn, do you live around here?"

"...Yes."

"Is it it close to the school?" the girl exclaimed bubbly. "Or maybe in the neighborhood even? That would be so cool if you did."

"I live in Garden's Well."

Uriko paused and then blinked in thought, but it was Kenji who voiced their thoughts. "The orphanage?"

"Yes."

Blinking again, Uriko managed to stammer out. "But...aren't you...a little old?

"Uriko..." Kenji admonished.

But Shinn replied anyway. "Almost. This will be my last year there."

Her eyes widening, Uriko was about to ask what he meant when the door from the front opened and a voice called out from there.

"Hellooooo! I'm home!"

Her question dispelled, Uriko jumped up from her seat and toward the front door where a petite woman with brunette hair walked in, closing the door behind her as she did.

"Hey Sis! You're back early."

With a nod, the woman smiled at the girl. "Yeah well, I wanted I'd meet Yugo for our date, so I asked to take the day off early." Her eyes turned to Kenji, who was still seated by the table. "Hello Kenji. And how are you?"

"Just fine." he answered simply, his expression lightening.

"And I see we have a new face here." she continued, upon looking at Shinn. "Who's your friend?"

"That's Shinn. We met him at school the day before yesterday." Uriko answered. She then turned to Shinn and introduced the woman. "Shinn, this is my sister, Alice."

The young man was quiet for a moment, tilting his head to regard her. "...Hello."

"It's very nice to meet you, Shinn."

"Alice?" Mitsuko called from the kitchen. Peering out, she smiled at the young woman. "I thought I heard you come in. How was your day?

"Well enough, Aunt Mitsuko. Things weren't as busy as normally."

Formerly a nurse, Alice now worked as a volunteer for the non-government organization of the World Organization for Co-Existence (W.O.C.). It was a small organization whose purpose was to promote peace and unity between normal humans and zoanthropes. Or at least, it was a small organization. Lately, it had been growing steadily and work had been increasing as well.

"Speaking of which, don't you have a date to get ready for?"

Alice gasped. "Ah, right! I better get ready then!"

With that, Alice raced upstairs to change while Mitsuko returned to the kitchen and Uriko to the table with the two boys. As she settled, she noticed that Shinn's eyes were still on the ascending woman. A mischievous grin slipped up her lips.

"Ooh. It looks like somebody has a crush."

Realizing that she was speaking about him, Shinn quickly turned away and lowered his head, hoping to hide the light blush on his cheeks. "No, no! It's not like that at all."

But Uriko continued her tease. "And after they just said she was getting ready for a date too. Honestly."

Fighting the blush off his cheeks, Shinn went on to explain. "It's just that…when I look at people…with my eyes… sometimes it seems like I stare."

"Ah. I can see that. Still, that doesn't explain the blushing a minute ago."

Wisely, Shinn opted to remain silent, causing Uriko to pout at him. Still, she was glad to see the young man come out of his shell, if only for a bit and largely at his expense. It was something like when she hung out with Kenji for the first while; how she would try to help the silent teen be more outgoing and social. That took some doing, but she enjoyed it all the while.

It was fun to watch...

But there was another part of her that made her wonder just _why_ she was so friendly to him. True, she was like this with many people, but never to total strangers. She initially believed it was because this boy seemed to be a lot like Kenji, but she felt that there was something more to it. She didn't understand what, but it was there.

But she wasn't alone in this feeling. As he recognized before, Kenji felt the same familiarity with this newcomer as she did, maybe even more so. And it was because of that that he felt very wary about him. He hadn't done anything to garner mistrust, and Uriko was to one who initiated contact with him, but Kenji just felt something hidden beneath those sharp eyes.

Something that could possibly even dangerous...


	3. Awakening

Disclaimer: See initial chapter

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><p><span>Awakening<span>

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><p>"You look great, sis!"<p>

"Thanks."

Alice smiled as she came down the steps, stopping just at the base of the stairway. Clad in a white sleeveless gown and matching skirt, she was the picture of simple beauty. She felt a light blush at the admiring faces of her mother and sister on her; even Kenji had a light smile on his face. Shinn was the only one that didn't react, or at least, he tried not to, as Uriko kept glancing in his direction in the hopes of a quick tease. But she was disappointed as he did manage to keep his composure enough to head to the door after giving her a quick glance.

"Oh, are you leaving now?" Alice asked.

"Yes."

"Are you sure you won't stay for dinner?" Mitsuko called to him from the other end. "It is close to nightfall now."

The young man shook his head. "I have to return before curfew."

Alice blinked. "Oh, really? Well, can we at least drive you back to Garden's Well? I'm sure Yugo wouldn't mind."

"Thank you. But I don't want to get in the way of your evening." he replied

Uriko was about to let out a sad sigh when a great idea suddenly popped in her head, turning a sigh into a smile. "Hey, maybe Kenji and I can walk with you back. How about it, Mom? Kenji?"

Shinn blinked in surprise at this while Mitsuko gave the idea a thought. "Well, as long as you are all together and you get back before dinner's finished, I see no reason why not."

Beaming, Uriko turned to Kenji, who shook his head and muttered. "Guess I don't have much choice."

She then turned back to Shinn, whose surprise had turned into confusion and he was now stammering (causing her to grin). "You don't... Ah... I...mm..." Sighing, Shinn lowered his head a bit.

"I guess...I...don't have much of a choice either."

With a triumphant cheer, Uriko rushed ahead toward the door. "Nope! So let's go!"

Opening the door, Uriko almost rushed into a large mass that stood in front of her that was about to knock on the door. Uriko jumped back before she slammed into him, gasping as she did so.

"Hey, nice timing." the figure grinned. "Thanks for letting me in, 'Riko."

Frowning, Uriko childishly stuck her tongue out at the young man as he entered the house. Medium build, with brown hair and an X-cross scar on the bridge of his nose, Yugo Ohgami stepped into the Nonomura home, stopping in the front and dressed neatly, but casually. Upon seeing his younger brother and the background, the man grinned.

"Figures you'd be here too, Kenji." His glance lowered to Uriko and a mischievous smirk came up on his face. "Seriously, if you two want to double, all you have to do is ask."

Uriko pouted at this, but that didn't stop the light blush that formed on her cheeks at the comment. Kenji on the other hand, remained stoic, although his eyes narrowed ever so slightly at Yugo.

"Not funny."

"You really shouldn't tease them, Yugo." Mitsuko lightly admonished. She then slyly added. "That's my job."

The response to this was a pitiful moan from a lowered head of the now-embarrassed girl. "Mom..."

The two chuckled at this for a bit before Mitsuko continued. "Now Yugo, how about you tell you date how great she looks."

Blinking, Yugo turned toward the stairway to see Alice standing there, a radiant smile on her face. Blinking twice, Yugo returned the smile at his date. "You look great, Alice. You really do."

The smile on her face grew and her cheeks colored at the compliment. "Thank you."

At this point, Kenji began to move toward the doorway. As much as he liked Alice and Yugo and the relationship they had, there was only so much he could take at seeing his brother's tough exterior giving way to a more...sappy temperament.

"We should get going."

"Hm?" Yugo managed to turn from Alice to regard Kenji, the teasing smirk back on his face. "So you're taking me up on my offer, eh?"

"Stop it." Uriko interjected, not wanting to be embarrassed further. "We're just...walking a friend home."

"Friend?" Blinking, Yugo turned the opposite way to see the third teen standing there quietly. A little _too_ quietly for Yugo's taste. "Wow. Sorry, I didn't see you there."

"He's pretty quiet." Uriko giggled as if reading his thoughts. Moving over to stand between the two, she introduced. "Yugo, this is Shinn. Shinn, Yugo."

Yugo lent his hand to Shinn, who hesitantly took it. The young man appeared to frown, but his eyes wavered with an odd confusion, as though he was trying to remember something.

"Yugo...Ohgami...?"

The older man grinned. "Oh, you've heard of me, eh?"

His grin slipped however when the frown on the boy deepened. _'What's with him?'_ But then Shinn's eyes rolled and the boy slipped backward. Still holding his hand, Yugo held him up to prevent him from falling and only slipped back halfway, his other hand grabbing hold on the side of his head. Uriko and Alice quickly moved behind him, steadying him to his feet where they heard a light groan echo from his throat.

"Are you alright?"

"I..." he moaned. "I think so."

As he straightened out on his feet, he was met with Uriko's worried gaze. "What happened?"

Closing his eye, he again held the side of his head. "Not...sure. I just felt a little dizzy for a moment."

"You should sit down." Alice replied, her medical instinct kicking in. But just as she was beginning to tug him to a seat, he managed to break out of her hold and step back.

"No, no. It's fine. I just..." He paused for a moment and then turned to the mother of the household. "May I use your bathroom please?"

"Oh sure." Mitsuko pointed just up the stairs. "It's upstairs to the left. Are you sure you're alright?"

With a slow nod, he moved up the stairs and up, seemingly shaky, but ultimately making it up. The silence of the group stretched until they heard the sound of the door closing upstairs, with each one of them wearing expressions of either worry or confusion on their faces.

"That was weird." Yugo replied, breaking the silence.

"Yeah." Alice nodded in worry. "I hope he's alright."

"Well, don't you worry about it." Mitsuko replied, beginning to shoo the two young adults out of the door. "You two just head out and have fun tonight."

Her worry set aside, Alice's face managed to brighten as she relented and exited the house with Yugo. "Alright. See you guys later."

The two teens bade the pair goodbye as they left the house. Uriko then turned around and headed upstairs to check on Shinn. Like her sister, she was quite worried about him. Just as it seemed things were going fine, he...well, she didn't know what happened. _'Maybe he just came down with something.'_ It was strange, but it was the only things she could think off. Reaching the bathroom, she knocked on the closed door.

"Shinn? Are you okay in-?"

She was cut off by the sound of a loud crash coming from behind the door. Turning the knob and finding it unlocked, Uriko quickly swung the door open and immediately saw two things. The bathroom window shattered to pieces...

...And Shinn missing.

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><p>"What was that about?"<p>

The pair had just gotten to the sidewalk when they heard the sound of shattering glass coming from the side of the house. Turning around, they began making back when from out of nowhere a dark blur 'emerged' out of the air and smashed into Yugo, knocking back Alice as well as she was beside him. Instinctively, Yugo rolled backward and growled as he settled back on his feet, recognizing the impact that hit him as a kick.

"What the hell...!"

Meanwhile, Alice had managed to break her fall halfway by throwing her palms down and stopping her descent. She then whirled about and was back on her feet, surprised at the sudden attack. _'I hadn't even heard anything.'_ Her zoanthrope abilities gave her uniquely sensitive hearing, so for something like that to happen without hearing so much as a whisper was quite a feat. But upon rising up, she was then greeted with a bigger surprise.

_'Shinn?'_

Indeed, it was the same young man that had been invited into her house. The same quiet boy who was...currently attacking Yugo? Stunned, the brunette could only watch as Shinn launched himself at her boyfriend, unleashing a series of sharp airborne kicks that made it seem like he was defying gravity.

_'The way he's fighting... It looks almost like...'_

Just then, the front door opened, causing Alice to turn around and see Kenji looking out of the doorway. There was a brief moment of surprise in his face before he sprang into action, speedily rushing toward the fighting group just as Shinn had managed to evade a blow from Yugo and hit him with a sharp chop around the back of his neck, flooring the older man. With Yugo down and possibly unconscious, Shinn appeared to move in to finish him, but stopped upon sensing Kenji's presence and jumped back, meeting Kenji face-to-face.

"Kenji!"

Uriko stepped out of the now-open doorway after having run down the stairs after seeing Kenji rush out of the doorway. The sounds of fighting had reached her ears just before she came to the doorway, but she still couldn't believe what she was seeing. Kenji and Shinn were facing off against each other, neither one of them moving. But she recognized the deadly glare in Kenji's eyes and turned to look over at the other combatant.

"What's going on?" Her gaze moved over to the other boy. "Shinn!"

"That's not Shinn." Kenji quietly replied.

Blinking in confusion, Uriko took another glance at Shinn and almost gasped. The sharp gaze she had always noticed about him was completely void of feeling, more than mirroring the gaze Kenji was giving him. _'Wait... Like Kenji?'_ Now she saw it completely, but still couldn't believe it. Just as Alice had seen, their posture and stance was nearly identical, revealing that, like Kenji, Shinn was a practitioner of the Kato-ryu shinobi arts. And this was confirmed by Kenji's next word, a name -alias- he had been formerly under.

"Bakuryu."

"Bakuryu?" The eyes of the young man narrowed, almost as though in memory before he coolly replied.

"Yes... I am Bakuryu."


	4. Successor

Disclaimer: See initial chapter

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><p><span>Successor<span>

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><p>The two teenage shinobi remained motionless, simply staring each other down in a battle of wills. Kenji didn't move, didn't even appear to be breathing. If he was truly the new Bakuryu, then like him, he would be able to read his moves as soon as they came out. The first move would be critical and Kenji didn't want to give him the advantage. But he also knew that they wouldn't stay like this for long though; there just had to be a moment's change.<p>

"Ugghh..."

The low rumble of Yugo's moaning caused Shinn's eyes to divert and focus on the reviving man. It was that moment that Kenji made his move, rushing toward Shinn full on. By the time Shinn returned his attention back to his opponent, Kenji was already soaring through the air; his arm reared back and his palm shooting forward at his head.

But just as swiftly, Shinn ducked under the attack and, planting his hands on the floor, shot his foot up in a upward kick. Kenji just managed bend back to avoid the full force of the attack, but it still managed to graze him enough for him to be knocked out of balance and land awkwardly. Hopping up from the ground, Shinn glared at Kenji just as Kenji regained his balance and the two charged at each other.

"Stop it!"

Crying out from the sidelines, Uriko watched helplessly as the two charged and fought, dancing about with exchanges of blow and kicks between them. Despite this however, she couldn't help, but feel a sense of...familiarity in watching them fight. Almost as though... she had seen them fight before. Too into her thoughts was Uriko that she didn't notice Alice come up beside her.

"Uriko. We have to get to Yugo." When Uriko blinked at her sister in askance, Alice continued. "Kenji won't be able to distract him for long."

Blinking again, Uriko turned back to the fight and it was only then that she seen what was really happening. Although, Kenji was fighting fiercely, he was using defensive techniques, something she knew he seldom did. Furthermore, the fact that he was backing away and giving his opponent ground confirmed Alice's statement. Nodding, Uriko and Alice made their way toward Yugo, moving cautiously as they did so as to not attract Shinn's attention. They made it to the man just as he began to stir again.

"Are you okay?"

With a low moan, Yugo rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah. That really hurt."

As Alice did a quick check on her boyfriend, Uriko looked back at the fight, once again taken by feeling that she had seen this before. _'But from where? And how?'_ It was like some twisted form of déjà vu, only the feeling was quite persistent. It was just like when she saw Shinn for the first time, like she knew him from somewhere.

Unbeknownst to her, this line of thought was being shared by Kenji as he continued to distract Shinn, all the while trying not to get himself killed. Shinn was quick, perhaps even faster than he was. But Kenji was able to read his moves, almost instinctively. No. It was more than that. This was something they had done before. But they had only just met a few days ago.

_Hadn't they?_

Kenji forced his wayward thoughts aside as Shin came at him with a knife-palm strike. Kenji quickly parried the blow and returned with one of his own, only to have that parried and returned. Kenji didn't even think as he deflected the blow again and struck at Shinn's chest. Shinn managed to grab Kenji's arm before the blow could fully impact and twist it up, exposing Kenji's chest to attack.

However, just as he struck, Kenji caught hold of Shinn's arm and twisted it upward, just as he had done to him. The two held each other for a brief moment before they forced their arms out of each other's grip and snapped them at each other, only for their attacks to connect with each other, stopping just inches in front of their faces.

_'Just like before...'_

Shock suddenly snapped in Shinn's eyes and he broke away, stumbling back. As he reeled away, he grabbed hold of his head and his eyes slowly lifted up to Kenji. No longer where they the cold glare of earlier, now they were a confused and pained expression. Stepping back further, his lips began to mutter weakly.

"Baku...ryu... Ken...ji...? _Nhhhhhhahhh!_"

A loud, bird-like shriek escaped his lips, causing everyone to grasp their ears. Then, without any other warning, Shinn leaped away, bounding high on the light post and then even higher onto a nearby rooftop. Everyone could only watch as the youth soon disappeared into the night and out of sight. As he watched, Kenji suddenly sucked in a breath as images flashed about in his mind, coming at him so rapidly that he could only make out fragments.

As well as cause him to black out...

* * *

><p>"…Kenji..."<p>

His brow furrowing, the eyes of the young man slowly opened to light. He recognized Uriko's voice, but his vision was a bit blurry. Reflexively, he began to rise up, but a hand stopped him from coming up fully and settled him onto what he had just realized was a couch that he had been laying on.

"Not too fast, Kenji." Alice said softly.

Frowning at the dull ache in his head, Kenji muttered. "What happened?"

"Maybe you can tell us." Uriko answered. "You just blacked out all of a sudden."

"I... Shinn."

Kenji began to start back up again, but again, Alice's gentle, but firm hand settled him back down. "Relax. One problem at a time, okay?" Rising up, she turned to her 'sister'. "Hey Uriko, can you watch him while I go check up on Yugo?"

Nodding, Uriko watched briefly as Alice left before turning her gaze back to Kenji, who was now staring up at the ceiling. _'Thoughtfully'_, she mused.

"He's like me." Kenji said quietly. "Shinn. He's just like me. We... We were trained together. I remember..." He frowned lightly. "I'm not sure. Earlier memories I think. We were training. Only... his hair was different. He had black hair."

Eyes lowering, Uriko answered, speaking just as quietly as he did. "I know."

"Huh?"

When he looked up at her questioningly, she continued. "I don't know, but... when you two were fighting, it felt like... like I seen it before."

Kenji's eyes widened at this. Despite the fragments of memory, he could understand why he felt the way he did when he fought Shinn. _'But what did Uriko have to do with that?'_ His eyes returned to the ceiling in thought. As far as he knew, when she was taken by Tylon all those years ago, she had been used in a different project/experiment from him. But it could have been possible that their projects were related to each other. It was something he never thought of.

_Never wanted to think of..._

"What are we going to do?"

His gaze turned back to her in puzzlement and upon seeing it, she almost exclaimed. "We have to help him, right?

His gaze went to the ceiling once again as he answered. "I don't know if we can."

Now she exclaimed. "Sure we can! If he is like you, then that means he's being controlled. And if it worked for you, it could work for him."

"I'm not sure about that."

"What do you mean?" she frowned.

"He was normal until he heard Yugo's name. That was probably the trigger."

Her expression became a mix of confusion and impatience. "And?"

"That was different from me. I...never needed a trigger." His eyes shut tightly, forcing down the bad feelings that with such memories. "I was simply ordered to act and I did it. He's acting as though he's...preprogrammed."

"So what?" She shot back, clearly not caring for his explanation. "We can't just leave things the way they are. He's our friend, right?"

Kenji remained silent.

* * *

><p><em>Next day<em>

"Hey, Alice?"

Blinking, the young woman quickly glanced up and looked over at one of the other volunteers, a young woman a few years younger than her. "Huh?"

"Wow, you were out of it. Are you alright?"

"Oh yeah. Sorry for drifting off like that." she apologized.

"No worries." The girl then added slyly. "Probably thinking about your date, huh?"

Alice remained quiet, causing the girl to chuckle before going off on her rounds. Alice sighed inwardly, honestly wishing that that was the reason she drifted off. But in truth, she was worried about what had happened last night and what it may portend to be. Shinn being the next Bakuryu was only the tip of the iceberg. For there to be a Bakuryu around, then that meant there was an organization behind him. Could the Zoanthrope Liberation Front be back? Or even worse.

_Tylon..._

The word alone brought up terrible memories for her. Days of imprisonment and torturous experimentation, all to bring about her dormant zoanthrope abilities and convert her into a living weapon. Thanks to Uriko, she had managed to escape, but only by abandoning the girl. Swearing to return to save her, Alice entered their tournament for the chance. And although was a trap, she managed to succeed with help from both Yugo and Mitsuko, the girl's mother. And while she did that, Yugo set their HQ up in flames, making a rescue of his own; a boy whom he would adopt as a brother.

Only to later discover that the said boy was to be next in their line of lethal assassins. When the ZLF made their appearance, Kenji was kidnapped and his alternate persona 'Bakuryu' had been activated. She remembered how hard it was for Yugo to fight someone he cared about all the while trying to stay alive against him. But in the end, the brainwashing had been broken at Yugo's supposed 'death', returning Kenji back to the boy he was before.

So much suffering...

Alice shook her head when she realized she was drifting off again. She would worry about that later. Yugo had told her he would see what he could find out later on. He had mentioned that he may even try and contact his father's old friend, Gado, to see if he had heard anything. In the meantime however, there was work here for her to focus on.

If nothing else, it would keep the bad thoughts out of head a little longer.

* * *

><p><em>'So far, so good.'<em>

Seeing no one around, Uriko stealthily finished her descent from the window of the school and onto the ground below. Having excused herself from class to go to the bathroom, Uriko had instead gone over to an empty classroom at the rear of the school and gone out the window. The room was on the second floor, but that proved to be of little worry for her. The only problem would be if there was anyone spotted her before she made it down, but there was no one around. With a giggle to herself, Uriko touched down onto the grass and prepared to make her way away from the school when...

"And where do you suppose you're off to?"

Freezing stiff, Uriko slowly turned around to see Kenji standing against the wall, arms folded and eyes sharply on her. "Kenji? I...uh... well...I..."

"You're cutting school to look for Shinn." he answered for her.

"I..."

"Your mother won't like the fact that you left school. Neither will Alice for that matter."

Uriko was too stunned to come up with an excuse and simply lowered her head in embarrassment. _'So busted...'_ She almost missed hearing the sigh from Kenji as he moved himself off the wall.

"And Yugo will probably be upset with me as well for helping."

Surprised, Uriko's head snapped up just as Kenji moved past her. This was an even bigger shock than being caught by Kenji. At least, _that_ was understandable. But to hear Kenji actually want to help her on an endeavor that would be seen as irresponsible was just well...out of character for him.

"Well, are we going or not?"

"Hey, wait up!"


	5. Talon and Claw

Disclaimer: See initial chapter

* * *

><p><span>Talon and Claw<span>

* * *

><p>Tossing his book bag on the bed, Kenji settled in a nearby chair in his room. He had suspected from early on that their search for Shinn would turn up short. No one they spoke to had seen or heard anything about the description they had left them. But he also knew that Uriko wouldn't be dissuaded from this. Not that he blamed her; he understood and agreed with her. He didn't want to leave Shinn out there on his own, especially in the mental state he had last seen him in.<p>

But by the same token, he didn't want Uriko to happen upon him if he was still in that state. Given the lethal skills he had displayed the night before and the fact that he was probably still mentally unstable, he would be a great deal more dangerous if they found him. And he didn't want Uriko to be at risk if he could help it. Fact of the matter is, if this was to be settled, there was only one way to really do it.

With a mental sigh, Kenji rose from his seat and moved toward the closet. The sun had almost descended completely beneath the horizon and he had yet to hear from Yugo. Chances are, he was still out trying to find some information on where Shinn may have come from; which was good for Kenji, since he didn't want Yugo to find him missing, at least not yet. Opening the door and bending down, Kenji pulled out a medium-sized box. _'It's been awhile since I had to wear this'_, he thought as he opened the box, revealing his ninja garbs and armor. But if he was to have a chance of reaching Shinn, it would have to be this way.

Five minutes later, he was out the window.

* * *

><p>From his office suite within the U.N. building, Alan Gado stared out of the window; his sole eyes upon the bay. He had just received a call from Yugo fifteen minutes ago, inquiring about any information he may had had or heard of regarding any movements involving zoanthrope activity lately. After the panic of the Tabula and the XCG marks, not to mention the Beast Liberation Front, it sounded like Yugo had not wanted to take any chances of another such occurrence.<p>

Gado didn't blame him.

But generally, he and Yugo, although they had the same goals, operated separately. While Yugo worked outside the government with the W.O.C., Gado made his voice heard within the U.N. So for Yugo to call him up meant that something had happened. Yugo wasn't the type to ask for his help and truthfully, the wolf zoanthrope, being a leader in his own right, didn't need it. Gado recognized this long ago, knowing that he possessed the same traits of his father.

_Yuji…_

A gruff sigh escaped his throat. Such thoughts always led to memories of the past, where he worked as a mercenary along with his old friend. But that was before the injury that took his eye and the abduction of his friend by the Tylon organization, who had subjected him the various tests, but who had continued to fight them up until his death.

A death the lion zoanthrope made sure to avenge.

But as it was now, Gado hadn't heard any new information. Or rather, he hadn't been keeping as close an eye as he could. Being a dignitary, while beneficial for the masses, kept him out of touch regarding what may be considered lesser issues. It was something he had planned on rectifying. And this incident with a second Bakuryu was something he couldn't dismiss. It may come about to being nothing, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Turning away from the window, Gado set his mind on the task to handle. Part of him hopes that it turns out to be an isolated incident. Another panic right now may damage the efforts he had been working on for zoanthropes. But another part of him, the part that is wild and feral, yearns for a chance to return to the battlefield.

A chance…to return to the hunt…

* * *

><p>As the night continued to settle fully in the sky, a lone figure wisped through the darkening sky across the rooftops. With merely a whisper, Kenji settled on the edge of one such rooftop, his gaze sweeping about and allowing his eyes to focus through the fading light. Once night settled fully, his vision would be able to adjust fully. For most, this would be an odd thing, having vision that works better at night than the day, but not with a shinobi and certainly not with the mole zoanthrope.<p>

But it appeared as though he wouldn't have to wait that long. A flutter of movement grabbed his attention from a rooftop three buildings away. It was slight, but large enough to catch his attention. With a single bound, Kenji leapt from the roof he was on and landed neatly onto the next one, wasting no time in rushing across it and soaring over to the next rooftop, where he was able to get a close up view of what he had seen.

And was met with good news, bad news and worse news.

The good news was that he had found Shinn. From the looks of it, the young man seems to have fallen asleep at some point and was still resting. The bad news was the way he was resting, or rather the form. Shrouded in soft white-brown feathers with his hands and feet now decked with talons, Shinn had taken up his zoanthrope form.

Kenji was a bit surprised, having never really met a bird zoanthrope before, although he wasn't too surprised by the animal breed. It was an owl; more specifically, a barn owl. It was fitting; if Shinn was trained in the same ninja arts as Kenji, then an owl was perfect for silent killing. And, if nothing else, it explained the sharp gazes he always seemed to bear. And that was when the worse news came in.

Those said eyes suddenly opened, and immediately trained themselves on him.

* * *

><p><em>'Oh, what was I thinking?'<em>

Her shoulders drooping, Uriko sulked as she lent back on a lamppost on the sidewalk. Much like her idea of ditching school, this seemed like a good idea at the time. She and Kenji had spent much of the day looking for their lost friend, but without any success. When it turned late, Kenji had decided that they should turn in and try again the next day. Uriko wanted to refuse, but given the lack of success they had, she reluctantly agreed.

But she couldn't help thinking that Shinn might be out there, lost, confused and on his own. She still didn't understand why she felt this way about a boy they only just met recently. But then again, she didn't understand how he seemed to be in her memories. All she knew was that she had to find him and help him.

And with this in mind, she decided to sneak out again, this time out of her own house. She had to wait until it was late enough for her mother to believe her to be asleep before she snuck out. That was difficult in itself, as her mother was very protective of her. Not that she could blame her, given her past experiences. And as much as she didn't want to put her mother through unnecessary worry, she felt that this was something she had to do.

And so, she snuck out.

But, at the moment, it didn't seem to be the best of ideas. She had been about for almost two hours and she was having the same results as she had earlier in the day, probably less since she was out there on her own and not with Kenji. Plus, since she had been searching through the day, she was getting tired; her usual overabundance of energy now absent as indicated by her yawn.

_'Maybe, I should wait until tomor...huh?'_

Blinking, Uriko stared up toward the rooftops of the building, her vision catching sight of what appeared to be two shadows leaping about. Normally, it was something dismissed, but normally, it was something most people wouldn't even have spotted. But Uriko wasn't most people and her feline vision had definitely picked up movement coming from the rooftop. She wanted to smack herself. All this time, she had been looking around on ground level and had forgotten that Shinn had displayed the same shinobi skills as Kenji, which meant that he would had been hidden above ground.

And speaking of Kenji.

One of the shadows she had been tracking definitely belonged to the young man in question. If the spiky hair wasn't a dead giveaway, then the flash of shinobi garbs she caught was. A part of her was mad at Kenji for continuing on without her (despite the fact that she had done the same thing), but the other part a worried. Kenji never put on his ninja gear for just anything. And given his opponent, she saw why.

'_Sh__inn?'_

She couldn't make out the form clearly enough yet, but she was definitely seeing a bird zoanthrope of some kind, who was currently defying gravity in order to attack Kenji. One of his blows had gotten through and Kenji fell backward and onto an adjuring roof, disappearing from her view. Shinn followed as well, but by that time, Uriko had already broken out into a run toward them, her previous tiredness now gone.

'_Kenji! Hold on!'_

* * *

><p>Rolling backward on the roof, Kenji quickly hopped to regain his footing and bearings. There was no sign of Shinn anywhere now, but that didn't stop Kenji from ducking quickly as a set of razor-sharp talons whizzed over his head, just marking his cheek with a red gash. <em>'<em>_No sound at all'_ Kenji remarked inwardly. This didn't surprise him though. Owls could fly in complete silence, ambushing their prey completely without any detection. That meant that Kenji would have to keep his eyes on him at all times and not give him the chance.

But Shinn wasn't giving _him_ a chance and was on Kenji instantly. The attacks Shinn had displayed the night before were now amplified by his avian metamorphosis, talons from both hands and feet slicing through the air and all coming dangerously close to slicing Kenji up. Kenji grimaced. He had hoped he wouldn't have to go this far, but if he didn't meet him beast for beast, Shinn would cut him to ribbons.

_Crrsshh!_

A talon foot soon met with a large clawed hand. Kenji had taken up his alternate form; that of a mole zoanthrope. His eyes, now shrouded in ink-black, met with the similar gaze of his opponent. With another clash, the two broke away and Kenji settled into a defensive stance. Shinn was slightly faster than he was, so he would have to wait for him to make the first move and then counter it.

But he was surprised when Shinn also took a stance of his own, spreading his wings low and wide and bending up one of his legs. Up until now, Shinn had been the aggressor in this fight, but now he was wasn't attacking outright. He must have been going on pure instinct up until now. And were his wings…trembling? Kenji wasn't sure, but there was a chance that Shinn was still trying to recover his mind.

And that stance… seemed to lock with his defensive stance.

But due to Shinn's change, Kenji couldn't read any of Shinn's facial changes. So he couldn't risk lowering his guard and attempting to talk to him. He would just have to hope he could incapacitate him without severely hurting him; or at the very least, not get himself killed. The wings of Shinn spread further, telling Kenji that he was preparing to attack and Kenji bent lower in preparation. But before either of them could make a move…

"Stop!"


	6. Searching

Disclaimer: See initial chapter

* * *

><p><span>Searching<span>

* * *

><p>Rushing down a sidewalk, Yugo came up to the corner and paused in his tracks. After returning home, Yugo had gone to check up on Kenji, only to find his brother was gone. That may have been bad enough, but upon seeing the box that usually contained Kenji's battle gear empty, Yugo knew exactly what Kenji had planned. Without a moment's hesitation, Yugo headed out, using the canine senses to track Kenji's sent. Unfortunately, his brother had left some time ago so that made tracking difficult, especially since Kenji's scent seemed to be coming from the rooftops. It would have been easier if Yugo could take on his beast form, but obviously, that was not an option.<p>

The trail soon turned cold and Yugo stopped and looked about and above, only to see no sign of anything. Annoyed, Yugo let out a low growl. He never really expected for Kenji to pull a stunt like this, but he also understood why he did it, at least in part. Although he had been knocked out at the time, Yugo was told of Shinn's alternate identity as well as of the fight between him and Kenji. Given Kenji's sense of responsibility, Yugo reasoned that Kenji must have felt that he was the only one who could stop Shinn, since he was in the same position as he was some time ago.

'_Huh?__'_

Sniffing the air lightly, Yugo blinked when he caught trace of another scent. He wouldn't have even bothered to notice it at all except that it was very familiar. Feminine… young…

'_Uriko?!'_

Before he knew it, Yugo's feet were moving as he now followed her scent. He didn't even bother to wonder what she was even doing out here. Knowing Uriko well enough, it was a safe bet that she was doing the same thing Kenji was and was probably in the thick of whatever mess they were in or heading to. At the moment, it was his only lead, and probably the best one as well since she was on the ground. If he was lucky, he would find both teens before anything bad happened.

And then an explosion erupted from one of the top of the buildings…

* * *

><p>'<em>Amateurs…'<em>

Standing in the middle of an alleyway just on the edge of town, a woman stood over the bodies of four large men who were currently groaning in pain on the floor. Cracking her knuckles, she shook her head, her spiky bond hair waving lightly as she looked down at the beaten thugs. She had only arrived in town for a few minutes looking for some information when these guys hit on her. When that didn't work, they tried more…forceful tactics, completely unaware that the woman they tried to take advantage of was a highly-trained professional mercenary.

…As well as an equally fierce leopard zoanthrope.

Not that Shina didn't mind a brawl or two, but she had more important things to do. It was why she was there in the first place. She had first started hearing the rumors some time ago. Normally, she would pay little mind to rumors, but she couldn't ignore this particular rumor, not when the word 'Tylon' was brought up. Her concern grew as the rumors continued, speaking about vague activities that were reminiscent of the fallen company. But it wasn't until a chance meeting with someone that she decided to investigate herself; someone also familiar with Tylon and the rumors.

And familiar to her…

* * *

><p>"<em>So you've heard the rumors as well."<em>

"_Unfortunately; and I had hoped they were only rumors__.__"__ replied a well-educated voice._

"_But since you're out and about, I'm guessing you'd discovered otherwise."_

"_Enough for me to worry. But I haven't learned anything of their motives yet; or of their plans.__"__ A momentary pause and the male voice spoke to her again. __"__I had hoped perhaps you would have heard of something that I haven't."_

"_I'm afraid not.__"__ Determination and steel came with her next words. __"__But I think it__'__s time I got started."_

* * *

><p>She wasn't sure, but she had a gut feeling that whatever it was that was happening had to be dealt with, and soon. And here she was, on the edge of town dealing with some low-rate thugs and no information to show for it; not the best way to get started.<p>

"Always in the thick of a fight."

Despite her heightened senses, she was completely caught off-guard at the sound of the new voice. But at the same time, she recognized it and wasn't surprised that she was snuck up on. Turning about, she sees another woman emerge from the shadows on the side of the alley; incredibly beautiful, with blond hair, a scarlet dress and high-heel shoes. Yet despite the appearance, Jenny Burtory was one of her father's old acquaintances. And while she may be Europe's top model, that was merely a front for one of the best covert spies in the world.

"The apple sure doesn't fall far from the tree now, does it?"

Shina narrowed her eyes, immediately wary of the other woman. "What are you doing here?"

The woman gave a subtle smile. "Let's just say, I was in the neighborhood and I heard that you were around."

"In the neighborhood, huh?" was the half-sarcastic reply.

"Don't be so suspicious." Jenny chuckled lightly, as she tended to have that effect on most people who knew of her. "Since you are here, you could deliver a message from me. I'd do it myself, but I have…other obligations this time around."

"A message?"

"Have W.O.C. check up on Yun Chi Manufacturing Inc. You may find something of interest."

"W.O.C.?" Shina's lips pursed."Yugo."

The sexy blond chuckled again. "That boy should already in the thick of it now, so you shouldn't have any problems on that end."

Briefly, Shina turned her head, gazing at the city some distance away. She had planned on checking in with W.O.C., but only after she had some information to work with. …Which apparently Jenny had just given her. Turning back, Shina made ready to continue the conversation only to find the other woman had disappeared. Shina looked about, but quickly realized that was useless. The woman was able to sneak up on her without notice, so her disappearing the same way was only natural. In any case, now that she had some information, Shina turned away and walked off toward the city.

…With the battered thugs on the ground long forgotten.

* * *

><p>Rushing up the stairs, Yugo quickly reached the rooftop where he had seen the explosion. Uriko's scent had been growing stronger as he did, enforcing his belief that she was in the middle of whatever might have happened. Finally reaching the top, he burst through the door, the pupils of his eyes shrinking in feral as he prepared for action, whatever it may be.<p>

'What the…?'

Immediately taking in the scene, Yugo's gaze swept about. Evidence of fighting was definitely clear, although it was a bit scattered. Kenji's scent was strong here, as was Uriko's and a third one, whom he guessed was Shinn. A smoldering crater was in the middle of the roof, with smoke still lifting out of it, no doubt the source of the explosion.

"Uhhh…"

The low moan had his head turning about to see Uriko on the opposite side of the stairway entrance. She seemed to regaining consciousness at the moment, lifting her hand up to her head to settle down a headache. Moving over to her and bending down, Yugo placed a hand on her shoulder. With a pained blink, the girl looked up.

"Yugo…?" She let out another moan and then her eyes shot open wide. "Kenji!"

She began to jump up, but both her headache and Yugo's grasp held her in place. She let out another groan as Yugo settled her back.

"Uriko, what happened?"

* * *

><p>"<em>Stop!"<em>

_Uriko had arrived on the rooftop just in time to catch Kenji and Shinn, both in their zoanthrope forms, posed and ready to strike at each other. Again, she was hit with a cloudy, but striking familiarity that she had seen this scene before. But now, that wasn't important. What was important was that she had to stop the two of them before they made their move. Focusing on Shinn, Uriko took note of his owl form and noticed the light brown wings that seemed to be trembling slightly__.__ Slowly, the girl took a step toward him, but Shinn didn't respond. It was only until she took the second step that he responded, his visible eye turning to her suddenly. She froze in her tracks, but kept her gaze on him._

"_Shinn? Can you hear me? Do you know…who I am?__"_

_The motion was slow, but the owl zoanthrope slowly turned his head to her, until the piecing gaze that she had been noted for from the start was now solely focused on her. The dark eyes unnerved her a bit, but she held her gaze locked onto his__.__ There was a chance that Shinn could whirl about and attack her and she wouldn't be able to defend herself, neither would Kenji be able to stop him if he did. She was basically taking a leap of faith here__.__ Shinn was still for a time, but slowly his arms began to lower. As they did, the feathers began to diminish, slowly revealing the youth beneath. Uriko began to smile gently, hers hopes rising._

_And then the roof exploded…_

_Uriko wasn't even aware that the floor left her feet, only the impact of her back and head that hit the wall of the stairway entrance. Slumped against the wall, her vision began to blur toward unconsciousness, but before it left her completely, she saw a new form descend on the fiery scene and landing amidst the two ninja boys, who were on the ground and probably unconscious as well. As she blacked out, she was able to take away one detail from the newcomer__._

_He wore the same armor garbs as Kenji…_


	7. The Gathering

Disclaimer: See initial chapter

* * *

><p><strong><span>The Gathering<span>**

_-0-_

_They moved like the wind. No, that wasn't right. More like shadows. They moved like shadows; silently and swiftly. But then again, that is what they were training to become; shadows that brought death to whomever they were sent to._

_And it was her job to watch. Watch and learn and absorb data._

_The two shadows continued to move about, striking at each other, yet never making contact. It was as though they were actually dancing with each other, but with techniques of the most lethal kind. But they were of no danger to themselves. They had done this for who know how long. Their moves interlocked with each other over and over, like a constantly changing puzzle that kept coming together. And this intricate dance was being fed as data to her mind, which would in turn use it to go stronger, to become the ultimate zoanthrope, one with the skill and power to dominate all at will._

_The Chimera…_

-0-

With a start, Uriko's eyes snapped open and she almost sat up, only to have her body protest in pain and soreness, forcing her to settle back. It was still dark outside, but the first glimmers of daylight were beginning to show. Normally, she would have another hour or so before rising up to go to school, but her mother had already intended to inform the school that she wouldn't be able to make it, giving her time to recover from her injuries.

As well as start on her punishment…

The girl winced at the thought of that. After Yugo brought her home and she was seen to be okay, her mother went on a full-on lecture spree, scolding her for what she had done. If that wasn't bad enough, Alice was there and scolding her almost as much. Her ears were ringing for quite a bit after they were done. But while Uriko didn't like the idea of disappointing them, she had no regrets about her actions Heck, both she and Kenji had almost gotten through to Shinn before that explosion came out of nowhere.

'_Kenji…'_

Maybe there was regret or two. Not only was Shinn gone again, but now it looks like both he and Kenji had been abducted. And from what she could remember, it looked like it was by another ninja like them. _'How many of them are there, anyway?'_ In any case, there wasn't much she could do right now. Aside from Alice and her mother making it _very_ clear that she was to stay out of trouble, Yugo was already on the case per say. And she wouldn't have the first idea of where to start looking for them anyway.

Except perhaps….in her dreams…

* * *

><p><span>Next Day<span>

_It was like looking into a mirror._

_A bent-up, distorted mirror._

Seated at a table in a not-so tidy bar, Long glanced simply at his companion, who bore the same facial features as he did, only his bangs and hair were wildly loose on his head as opposed Long's neatly tied braid. Also, the eyes that gazed back were a different color, a bright crimson that gazed back fiercely despite being somewhat inebriated by the drink he was holding.

"You must have some kind of screw-loose to come looking for me. Or a death wish."

Long's reply was simple. "I need your help."

With a snort, Shenlong took the drink to his mouth and took a considerable gulp of it. Long let it pass, knowing that considering their history, he shouldn't expect anything less. Not too long ago, Shenlong, who was the leader of the Beast Liberation Front, had wanted to kill him, but ended up trying to take his own life when he discovered his true identity as Long's clone. But he was unsuccessful in the attempt and instead now lives the life of a barroom brawler (if that could be considered a life)

"Word of the _organization_ has come up." Long continued. "Too much to be ignored."

"I'm waiting for the part that says I should care. Or that I should help _you_ of all people" Shenlong added with a glare.

Shutting his eyes briefly, Long suppressed a sigh and replied. "You're right. There's nothing that says you should help me."

Silently, Long stood up from his seat and began to turn, completely missing Shenlong's surprised expression. He didn't, however, miss the half-growl that came from Shenlong when he spoke.

"You came a long way to waste your time. Why?"

"I'm not sure. Just…I guess I was just hoping to mend bridges."

With that, Long continued out of the bar and into the streets. To be honest, he hadn't expected for Shenlong to help him; he had taken a chance here. Perhaps it was the last image he remembered seeing of him, a tortured soul that discovered he wasn't what he thought he was trying to kill himself on the belief that he was a fake. But Long never saw him that way, and over time considered Shenlong to be a brother.

Of course, that may have been sentimentality talking there, probably the same feeling that prompted him to try to ask the man for aid. But realistically speaking, he had to have known Shenlong wouldn't take kindly to him. If nothing else, Long should have expected for his twin to attack him just because. So it _was_ a surprise that he caught Shenlong's scent and glanced behind to see the man stride up beside him.

"I'm bored." he drawled. "Don't look into it any more than that."

"As you wish."

* * *

><p>'<em>Damn smoke…'<em>

With a scowl, Yugo slowly strode across the rooftop, pausing briefly to sniff an area, only to scowl again. Despite the flames from the night before having been completely doused, the nose of the wolf zoanthrope could still pick of the scent of the smoke strongly, which was proving in making his current task a bit difficult. Finding out who took Kenji as well as Shinn required that he track them down. The problem was that the still lingering smoke smell was greatly obscuring the other scents. He could barely pick up and hold Kenji's scent.

And his was the one he was most familiar with…

Deciding to take a moment from his efforts, Yugo looked over the side of the roof in thought. Who would want to capture Kenji and Shinn in the first place? Tylon was gone and the ZLF was as well. It could have been possible for a third entity to arise, but he wouldn't have any clue as to what. When he formed the WOC, one of the reasons was to keep his ear to the ground for any zoanthrope activities. But the organization was still admittedly in its fledgling stages, so for him to not hear about anything wouldn't be too much of a surprise.

His attention was soon interrupted when he heard the sound of footsteps coming up from the stairs behind him. Normally, that wouldn't alert him, but the steps were quiet, as though someone was sneaking up the stairs. Quietly, Yugo backed from the edge and toward the side of the roof entrance. No sooner than he reach the wall did the door open and a figure, still on stealthy steps, walk out onto the roof. Hastily, Yugo grabbed the intruder's shoulder, recognizing it as a well-muscled female.

"What are you-?"

That question was never finished as said figure swiftly grabbed hold of Yugo's hand and arm and lurch it (and the rest of his body) over her shoulder, sending him flying. Hitting the ground hard, Yugo forced himself to roll forward and rise back up to his feet before his assailant could capitalize. And true enough, his opponent was rushing at him, a fist set to strike. On instinct, Yugo lifted his arms and set to jab at the person with a strike of his own. But it wasn't until his fist came close to connecting that he soon recognized his opponent.

"Shina?"

The blond woman paused in her attack as well; her own fist a mere few inches away from his face as his was just as close to her ribs. Her face gave way to a light scowl as she slowly began to back away.

"What the hell are you thinking, grabbing someone from behind like that?" she snarled. "You could have gotten yourself hurt."

Yugo gave a growl of his own. "You should talk, with the way you were sneaking up here.".

"Well, I heard what happened and I didn't want to take any chances." Her voice then softened (just slightly) "How are you holding up?"

"Someone took my brother and I don't know who." The wolf zoanthrope returned, still growling. "How do you think?"

Shina's eyes narrowed, but her voice didn't change. "No need to be snippy. I was just asking.

Finally seeing her attempt to be reassuring, Yugo took a short breath and calmly reply. "Sorry about that. I'm just feeling…snippy."

Nodding, Shina moved over to the side of the roof. "I had planned on coming down to the WOC to find you, but I guess this works out too."

"For me?"

"I was on my way here anyway, but I ran into Jenny on the way." Her face darkened into a light frown. "She wanted you to get a message and apparently felt I should be the messenger.

"She involved in this too?" Yugo frowned as well. Although Jenny worked with him as an ally, there was just something about her that rubbed him the wrong way. Perhaps it was her whole mysterious, cloak-and-dagger persona, or perhaps it was that she always seemed to know more about what was going on and seemingly enjoying the fact that he didn't and reminding him as such through vague messages.

"And here I thought things were bad enough."

"Tell me about it." She replied, gratified that she wasn't the only one the bat zoanthrope annoyed. Nevertheless, she had given her information to pass along. "She mentioned something about a manufacturing company called the Yun Chi."

His eyes narrowed in thought as he took a thoughtful hand to his chin. "Yun Chi... It sounds familiar, but I'm not sure from where."

"Unfortunately, word of Tylon has popped up, which is why I decided to get involved." She didn't have to look at him to know that Yugo's face had frozen up, likely in rage. That company had taken his father away and sent him on a warpath against Tylon. Needless to say, there were no pleasant thoughts there. She let a moment of silence pass for him to calm down before turning to the stair entrance.

"I'm going to do some more checking on my own. I'll let you know if I have any other extra information."

Yugo turned to her and almost considered asking her to just stay with him and work as a team. But he stopped himself short of that quickly enough. Both their beast natures required them to work solo. Not that they couldn't work in teams; just that they were at their best on their own. But before she left completely…

"Just out of curiosity, is there anyone else involved in this that I should know about?"

Pausing at the steps, the leopard zoanthrope merely turned her head and gave him a slight (if feral) grin. "Oh you know. Just the usual."

"Right. The usual."

* * *

><p>"Are you certain it's him?"<p>

"Yes. The profile is an exact match."

"To think we could retrieve both of them at once. With him here, we can finish the project quicker now"

"But is this wise? We had only planned for the target. We may not have the resources for him. And this one is associated with the wolf."

"We will have to advance our plans then. We should be able to do the project online in time for any…unwanted arrivals."


	8. Closing In

Disclaimer: See initial chapter

* * *

><p><span>Closing In<span>

* * *

><p>Returning home, Uriko slumped on her bed, uncaringly dropping her backpack on the floor. Her usual perkiness was absent, leaving only weariness and lack of energy. It has been four days since the rooftop battle and abduction of Kenji and Shinn and there was no word or clue as to their whereabouts. On top of that, she hadn't been able to sleep well due to the unusual dreams she had been having lately.<p>

No… Not dreams…

She hadn't wanted to admit it at first, but Uriko knew that she was in fact seeing memories; dark memories of her time as Tylon's captive and ultimately, their weapon. For what reason, she never knew. In fact, some of her memories of the time were a bit blurry and the ones she did remember weren't pleasant to say the least, save for her brief moments with her fellow captive, Alice.

_Then where did the images of the two come from?_

She had no memory of meeting Shinn or even Kenji while she was captive. As far as she could remember, the first time she had met Kenji was during the turmoil of the ZLF when he was their assassin and trying to kill her. _'Not exactly the best first meeting, but at least it ended well…'_ she mused half-cheerfully. Still, if her dreams/memories could be trusted, then that meant that she had met Kenji earlier than she thought; and Shinn as well. That would explain why she felt a connection to him when they met as well as that familiarity when both of them fought each other.

_So why was she remembering them now, in her dreams?_

The cat zoanthrope let out a long sigh. She was hurting her head with all this thinking and none of it was any helpful in finding the two captured shinobi now or learning their whereabouts. And she really didn't like feeling so helpless, but there really wasn't anything she could do. Story of her life it seemed. Her friends and loved ones get put in danger and she is powerless to do anything about it.

At least, at first…

And she grinned at this…

* * *

><p>Seated at a small table in the cafeteria, Yugo and Alice looked over the small file of paper set before them. After four days and no new leads, the pair decided that the best chance they had now was to check up on Shinn's background. Recalling that he said that he resided at the Garden's Well orphanage, they made their way there and made a request for information. At first, it was impossible as revealing such information was private and seeing that neither Alice nor Yugo were government agents of any kind, nor seeking to adopt him, they weren't privy to such information.<p>

Fortunately, one of the workers there, Saya, knew Alice from her days as a nurse and after hearing that they were friends of his and of the possible trouble Shinn might be in, more than eagerly gave the pair the information they needed (although it was still limited as per previous objection). Also, they couldn't leave with it, so they had to look through the paper while on the premises.

"Not much here, is there?"

"No kidding. Quiet kid, not very social…" Yugo snorted as he read over the profile. "I got all of that from our first meeting."

"I guess that explains why Saya was willing to give us this." Alice remarked. Her brows then crinkled into a frown. "That's odd."

"What is?"

"He has no history prior to this." She replied, showing him another sheet from the profile. "Nothing on his parents, no reference to any family anywhere."

Yugo raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that normal for orphans?"

Alice shook her head. "Typically, there would at least be a report of some kind to learn what ever happened to his parents or if they were searching for him or even if they were still alive and had relatives of some sort. But nothing. It's as though his life started at Garden's Well."

"Maybe it's because this isn't the full report?" he reasoned. When Alice shrugged in mild agreement, he asked. "Is there anything at all?

"Only that he was dropped off there by local authorities around eight years ago, who found him wandering..." Her words froze in her lips and Yugo didn't even have to ask why as both their eyes widened in realization and dark memories.

"Eight years ago…" Yugo muttered.

Eight years since their bloody battle against the Tylon Foundation. Eight years since Alice faced her fears and returned in search for Uriko, who helped set her free from their nightmarish experiments. Eight years since Yugo, after learning who was responsible for his father's death, set on a path of vengeance and retribution against the Foundation, ending with its fiery destruction.

"He _was_ a part of it." Yugo ground out. "Just like Kenji."

Her haunted memories shut down on hearing his voice and she gazed at him to see the fury in his eyes. Knowing the worry that was behind it and which was probably revealed in her eyes, Alice placed the papers down and took a gentle hold on his hand.

"We'll find him. We'll find _both_ of them."

Nodding slightly, he took a breath and continued looking at the papers. "Where does it say he was found wandering…?"

* * *

><p>Sunset was on the horizon as Alan Gado strode down the deserted alley. Despite his large size, Gado moved silently, not for a moment disturbing his surroundings with sound. His contact has requested to meet him here and Gado knew from long experience that in such a situation, silence was not only best, it was essential. To be honest, his contact wasn't exactly the most honorable of people, but if he had vital information, he would share it. Hopefully, it would prove better than what he got from his other sources, which proved to be scant. Granted, he's worked with less, but it didn't make it any less discouraging. And again, if he was being completely honest, the only real info he relied on came from Jenny, in part, due to its unerring accuracy<p>

And partly due to the fact that, well, it came from Jenny…

"Alan Gado. You should have stayed retired."

Pausing in his steps, Gado turned to the sound of the voice. It wasn't his contact; that much he realized immediately, especially considering that the voice came from above and behind him. Turning slowly, his single eye gazed up to see the form of an elderly man clinging to the side of one of the buildings by means of metal hands. In fact, much of the man's form was metal from what Gado could see and what he couldn't see was shrouded in shinobi armor and garbs. Dark eyes stared back at him as the figure unhinged from the wall and landed soundlessly on the ground, blocking the exit.

"I'll have to make it permanent now."

"Hmph. Better men have tried." Gado replied, his body automatically shifting into stance.

"I am not a man" the metallic ninja spoke, entering his own stance. "I am Death."

The lion zoanthrope snorted. "You're not Death. You're the warm-up."

* * *

><p>"'Riko! Dinner's ready."<p>

Yelling for said girl and getting no response, Mitsuko made her way up the stairs toward her room with a mixed feeling of frustration and worry. The worry was foremost at the moment, remembering the girl's somber face when she came home from school. That was to be expected of course, considering that there had been no word as to the whereabouts of Kenji or their new friend, Shinn, for days now.

As if that wasn't bad enough, she noticed that Uriko hadn't been sleeping so well either. Twice already, she had checked in on her daughter late night to find her muttering fitfully in her sleep. Mitsuko hadn't seen Uriko like that in years, not since her rescue from the Tylon Foundation. And even though Mitsuko had managed to help Uriko through that for the most part, she knew those dark memories wouldn't be completely banished from her mind.

And now they seemed to have returned with a vengeance…

And that was where a part of that frustration came in, seeing her sweet girl in such torment, yet unable to do anything to help her. But she settled that with the knowledge that Uriko was stronger than she looked, because despite the nightmares, she was able to return to said sweet girl, with an enjoyment of life that gave no hint of her past trials. Heck, there were times when even Mitsuko would forget about them just by seeing her. Opening the door, Mitsuko repeated.

"Did you hear me, Uriko? Dinner is-"

And empty room and a window ajar was her only answer…

And now Mitsuko was just frustrated…


End file.
